Police & Fire

Like a scene from the movie "French Connection", Westchester County Police pried out 210 small glassine envelopes of heroin, with a street value of more than $2,000, hidden under a carpeted area near the center console of a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant that had been impounded following a routine traffic stop on the Hutchinson River Parkway in New Rochelle. Christopher Ruggiero, 27, a passenger in the vehicle, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree (Intent to Sell)

At 10:03 p.m. last night Police Officer Steven Stromberg was on patrol on the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway near Webster Avenue when he stopped the vehicle after observing a traffic violation. The driver of the vehicle did not have a valid license, nor did his passenger, and so the vehicle was impounded.

A woman waiting at the bus stop on Main Street across from Memorial Plaza, in front of the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store was seriously injured by flying glass after a violent collision involved a sports car driving at high speed through the busy shopping area. The operator of the vehicle, described as "a young man, possibly white or hispanic" by a witness, drove a Red Ford Mustang Hardtop with Sports Package into the back of a Red Chevy SUV causing a collision which also involved a Silver Toyota Avalon sedan. The vehicles came within a few feet of striking pedestrians on the sidewalk including several people at the bus stop.

"It's a miracle no one was killed," said downtown fixture Jim Killorin, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Westchester which operates the "Re-Store" shop where the collision occurred.

Talk of the Sound was first on the scene last April 19th when an explosion rocked a West End neighborhood in what was initially considered by many in the press and the public to have been car bomb detonated on Union Avenue in New Rochelle. Police called the explosion an accident and dismissed concerns of a car bomb or any connection to organized crime. Police stated that there were no known prior threats against the car owner.

At a press conference the following day, police said they believed the explosion was caused by an air-fuel mixture being ignited when Francesco Perri, of Eastchester, the owner of the vehicle, lit a cigarette. A melted red plastic gasoline container was found at the scene which smelled like gasoline. The NRPD declined to comment further pending results of an analysis by the ATF Laboratory in Ammendale, MD. That analysis has since been completed and largely confirms the preliminary conclusions.

A car fire on Main Street between Lawton Street and North Avenue near the Rainbow Fish Market at 382 Main Street shut down traffic on the busy thoroughfare for about an hour this afternoon as firefighters responded to the scene and quickly brought the fire under control. The fire filled the sky around Main Street and Lawton and was visible a half-mile away.

Below are photos from the scene taken by Robert Cox. Video shot by a local merchant using his iPhone. Some additional photos are being sent from a Blackberry; we will update when we get them.

In the video you can see the flames leaping up from the car. Below is a photo of the owner of the car who stood nearby and watched as her car burned and was then doused with water. She appeared to be uninjured and no ambulances were brought into the fire scene so it appears there were no injuries.

A man called the New Rochelle Fire Department to declare he was going to set his room on fire and promptly did so sending firefighters scrambling to respond to another fire at the New Rochelle Manor Home For Adults at 41 Lockwood Avenue.

Firefighters responded quickly and got control of the fire, mostly contents in the room. Residents were not evacuated on what is a cold night with temperatures in the thirties. No injuries were reported.

As part of a comprehensive program to reduce youth access to alcohol, New Rochelle FOCUS (Families Organized to Curb the Use of Substances) funded an alcohol enforcement project with the New Rochelle Police Department. During the month of September, the PACT and Special Investigations Units of the New Rochelle Police Department conducted a series of alcohol compliance checks in off premise alcohol retailers (e.g. deli’s, liquor stores, groceries, etc) in the City over a three-week period.

During a compliance check, a person under the age of 21 enters a store and attempts to purchase alcohol using a valid identification that clearly indicates that the person in underage. The goal of the compliance check is to ensure that alcohol outlets are complying with the law to refuse sales to minors.

New Rochelle, NY -- The owner of a single-family home located at 867 Weaver Avenue in New Rochelle is due in New Rochelle City Court on December 10th to explain his turning a single-family North End home into what amounted to an illegal Single-Room Occupancy hotel, long outlawed in New Rochelle.

John Deraffele, the owner, was served with five appearance tickets covering five major violations: (1) building permit required for 2 sheds and deck in rear of property; (2) building permit required for finishing third floor with full bath; (3) use of a one-family dwelling as a three-family dwelling; (4) use of third floor as a dwelling is not permitted; (5) use of second floor as a dwelling is not permitted.

The building inspector report obtained by Talk of the Sound shows the house had been converted into a boarding house with the second floor basically an SRO hotel for five college students.

A floor by floor summary of the building inspector report follows (portions were redacted in original):